Tastes

Bottled 2015/05/12 = ~20 year old juice Nose - Dark stone fruits, dark toffee, orange zest, dark chocolate, hint of candied ginger. Taste - Nice thick/chewy mouthfeel, sweet dark stone fruits, hint of orange zest, candied ginger spice, dark chocolate covered dark toffee. Finish - Nice lingering dark stone fruity syrupy sweet, light ginger spice, candied orange peel, light fruity bitter orange pith. Score - 90/100 Final Thoughts - This was an interesting dram in that the first few pours I had from the bottle had a bit more bitter and off putting notes that somehow mysteriously disappeared when I poured this dram for review. I can see why people like this one as looking back on my notes, they are very similar to the GlenDronach 21 which might make sense because this particular bottling supposedly makes it a 20 year. I think this bottle needed a bit of air time & I'm glad I gave it a bit of air time before reviewing it because it has massively changed in just a few days of opening. Would I drink it if offered? - Yes Would I specifically order it? - Yes Would I buy a bottle? - Maybe, I value this around $80-90

57.8% ABV Cask# F1100707013B Bottle #051/562 Nose - (w/o water) Dark oaky apple/pear juice, hints of golden raisins & prunes, dark caramelized sugar (w/ water) Oddly more ethanol, fruity peppercorns, golden raisins, oak, tannic smell Taste - (w/o water) Initially really hot, tropical fruity sweet, Tahitian vanilla, fruity hot heat, very drying, light bitter/nutty sweet fruit (w/ water) Burn is all but gone, fruity floral sweet, light bitter apple stems/seeds, golden raisins, less dry Finish - (w/o water) Heat fades, oddly bitter, fruity dry, walnut skin nutty/bitter (w/ water) Less dry, lingering sweet apple/pear/golden raisins, lightly medicinal Score - 65/100 Final Thoughts - I'm not sure if I got a bad Fino cask or something but this was quite the letdown. It was a struggle to pick out any specifics from the nose other than a generic "sweet" and oak. The taste wasn't horrible but it felt very unbalanced with and without the addition of water. This super drying sensation lasted throughout and made the entire experience a bit unpleasant. The weird bitterness throughout wasn't a pleasant one and the addition of water made it taste a bit medicinal. Here's to hoping I got a bad batch? Would I drink it if offered? - Yes Would I specifically order it? - Maybe, just to see if I got a bad batch Would I buy a bottle? - Not another

2015 Edition Nose - Light briny smoke, dark apple cider, orange zest, bright red berries, poached pears. Taste - Light clean smoke, brine, hint of sweet seaweed, apples/pears, thick & oily mouthfeel, orange zest, treacle toffee, nice oaky peppercorn spice. Finish - Lingering salty smoke, light bitter orange pith, sweet dark almost burnt toffee, oaky peppercorn spice/heat, bitter cocoa nibs. Score - 83/100 Final Thoughts - This one had a very nice nose, but sadly I didn't get as much fruit on the palate as the nose would lead you to believe. Once it hits the palate though, it's a rush of initial sweet fruit followed by tons of brine/smoke and instead of a more fruity sweet it's more of a dark/burnt sugar bittersweet that transitions to the finish. Maybe I was just looking for a longer fruity sweet on the palate since it was so nice on the nose. Would I drink it if offered? - Yes Would I specifically order it? - Maybe Would I buy a bottle? - Maybe, if it was priced around $50-60

Nose - Soft floral, light vanilla, fresh baked rye bread, light sweet yeasty dough. Taste - Sweet fruity vanilla caramels on the front, orange zest, then kicks into this nice spicy cinnamon spice on the back palate as you swallow. Finish - Lingering light fruity oak, cinnamon heat, floral vanilla caramel sweet, faint sweet mint. Score - 83/100 Final Thoughts - This is a very interesting rye in that it didn't initially smell like a rye to me, but came out as more of a wheated bourbon due to it's softer, more floral nose. Not until it hits your tongue do you realize the softness is there, but there's also that rye bite that I think has been softened from all the years aging in the oak. It's very nice on the nose, palate, and finish as there's no off-putting flavors and the lower proof makes it infinitely sippable. Would I drink it if offered? - Yes Would I specifically order it? - No Would I buy a bottle? - Not another at the absurd prices, but at least I get a somewhat cool looking pewter topper?

(2017 Release) Nose - (w/o water) Soft fruity/cherry/strawberry, buttery vanilla caramels, hint of cinnamon, milk chocolate, light leather, toasted sugar (w/ water) Greatly softens the nose, less cinnamon, more chocolate, and more toasted sugar Taste - (w/o water) Rich, oily, nice cinnamon heat, rich fruit, cherry/strawberry, buttery vanilla caramels, light leather tannic bite, milk chocolate (w/ water) Less heat, sadly less rich, more buttery vanilla caramels, background hint of cinnamon, light leather dryness, fruity overtones throughout. Finish - (w/o water) Light cinnamon tingle, lasting light bitter cherry/strawberry, light buttery caramel sweet, lightly drying leather (w/ water) Light cinnamon, fruity caramel, bit more drying leather Score - 95/100 Final Thoughts - I really hate to add to the Pappy hype but this is quite good. There's this really nice balance throughout on a very pleasant nose, to a well-balanced taste, and a lasting finish. I think I might have added a bit too much water, but I find that this would most likely be best neat as is at 53.5% or with a drop or two of water as I find that it really helps soften any cinnamon burn/heat/tingle present and really opens up the buttery vanilla caramel. For being 15 years old, the oak seems to be very well balanced by the fruity/buttery sweetness and they complement each other very well. Would I drink it if offered? - Yes Would I specifically order it? - Yes, if prices aren't insane Would I buy a bottle? - Yes, but only at or slightly above MSRP

Nose - (w/o water) Dark chocolate covered raisins & espresso beans, leather, coke syrup (w/ water) Very similar but more tannic leather. Taste - (w/o water) Sweet cinnamon/white pepper heat/tingle, intense dark caramel sweet, coke syrup, dark chocolate, dried cherries, dark toffee, light oak & leather (w/ water) Less burn, more leather, oaky coke syrup, treacle toffee, cherry caramel. Finish - (w/o water) Hot oaky leather (in a good way), dark chocolate, coke syrup, light cherry (w/ water) More drying, cinnamon, dark chocolate, light cherry. Score - 91/100 Final Thoughts - This one was quite good but for some reason it didn't have as much "cherry coke" notes as I typically get from Stagg Jr. but instead it was replaced by this sweet leather note, which I guess comes with more age in a barrel. This was quite tasty and didn't have any off-putting notes whatsoever but I guess it kind of let down the BTAC expectations of a "premium" bourbon. Don't get me wrong, this was still tasty, but I really wish it offered more of the cherry coke syrup flavor profile I love in the Stagg Jr. releases. Would I drink it if offered? - Yes Would I specifically order it? - Yes Would I buy a bottle? - Yes, but not at the inflated secondary prices

Nose - (w/o water) Intense dark caramel, fruity vanilla, strawberry candies, syrupy cherry coke, hint of leather (w/ water) Softens the initial sweetness otherwise mostly the same. Taste - (w/o water) Hot sweet fruity cinnamon, cherry coke syrup, dark caramel, strawberry candies, red hots, vanilla dark simple (w/ water) Greatly reduced heat, dark chocolate emerges, cherry coke syrup, cinnamon, strawberries. Finish - (w/o water) Lingering hot fruity cinnamon tingle, light oak, sweet cherry coke syrup, strawberry candy (w/ water) Sweet dark chocolate covered cherry/vanilla caramel, light leather tannic/bitter, coffee bitterness. Score - 91/100 Final Thoughts - This is right up my alley for what I really like in a bourbon. The fact that you can get cherry coke & strawberry flavors in a bourbon are amazing and combined with the dark caramel vibe, this is truly a dessert in a glass. The higher proof allows you to proof it down to however you like and since I don't get any off-putting flavors, the taste keeps on evolving in the glass as you sip. Would I drink it if offered? - Yes Would I specifically order it? - Yes Would I buy a bottle? - Yes, but not at the ridiculous secondary prices

Nose - (w/o water) Dark leather, vanilla, dark oaky caramel, lightly herbal, hint of dried cherries, dark cocoa powder (w/ water) Softens the nose a bit, more fruity/floral versus dark tones, more caramel sweet. Taste - (w/o water) Fruity cinnamon heat, dry, cherry vanilla, dark caramel, cocoa nib bittersweet (w/ water) Light sweet mint, dry, cinnamon spice, sweet vanilla caramels, light cherry. Finish - (w/o water) Linge4ring fruity cinnamon heat, light toasted sweet oak bitter/tannins, dark chocolate cherry, dry (w/ water) More mouth drying somehow, light herbal/minty cherry, light tannic cherry. Score - 85/100 Final Thoughts - This was an interesting one in that on the nose it screamed dark leather, dark fruits, oak, but once it hit the palate, it was something completely different. It had a "dark" vibe to it, but it was subtle and quite pleasant, minus the mouth drying qualities to it. Nice taste & finish throughout and the addition of water did change the dynamic of it, but not by much. It opened up some herbal, almost rye-like notes on the palate, but somehow ended up making it more mouth-drying than it did neat. Regardless, a tasty dram but the mouth-drying nature of it was quite strange. Would I drink it if offered? - Yes Would I specifically order it? - No Would I buy a bottle? - No

Nose - (w/o water) Fruity, oaky vanilla, dark chocolate covered cherries, light cinnamon (w/ water) no change Taste - (w/o water) Nice cinnamon heat, fruity/floral vanilla, dry vanilla caramel, light dark chocolate bitter, tannic oak, cherries (w/ water) Cinnamon is more muted, more floral than fruity vanilla, caramel, more tannic. Finish - (w/o water) Lingering fruity cinnamon heat, tannic vanilla caramel, light cherry cough drops (w/ water) Less cinnamon burn, more tannic cherry cough drop. Score - 77/100 Final Thoughts - I wasn't too huge a fan of this one. It's not unpleasant, but at the same time it's not amazing. It tastes like a cinnamon/oak forward fruity/floral bourbon. Not any really off-putting flavors, but it tastes a bit over oaked with the tannins on the palate that continue on to the finish. Water doesn't really change it drastically one way or the other. Would I drink it if offered? - Yes Would I specifically order it? - No Would I buy a bottle? - No

Nose - Sweet dark fruity caramels, oaky vanilla, caramel corn. Taste - Sweet tannic fruity caramel, vanilla, cinnamon spice, light bitter fruity spice, raisins/prunes steeped in a tannic red wine. Finish - Lingering light fruity oak, light bitter spice, tannic/drying mouthfeel, sweet fruity caramel. Score - 86/100 Final Thoughts - This was an interesting one as it took their already dark and lightly tannic bourbon and added this layer of sweet, fruity, tannic red wine to it. It's interesting for sure but at times it feels like they took a pretty wet tannic port cask to age this in as the color is quite dark. Nice bit of spice, but near the end of the palate it gets a bit bitter like if you oversteeped some tea. Interesting concept, loads of nice fruity vanilla caramels, but not sure if it's something I'd really reach for all that often. Would I drink it if offered? - Yes Would I specifically order it? - Maybe Would I buy a bottle? - Unsure, if price was about $20 USD less